Shaunti Feldhahn, author of The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages and The Good News about Marriage.
Topic: Debunking myths about marriage and divorce and discovering the little things that make a big difference.Issues: The truth about marriage (most are happy) and divorce (the actual divorce rate is nowhere near 50%); improving your marriage by doing completely un-intuitive things: go to bed mad, keep score, don’t tell it like it is, and more.

David Elkind, author of Parenting on the Go.
Topic: Quick answers to parents’ most important questions, birth to age 6, A to Z.Issues: Attention deficit disorder; back-to-school blues; childproofing the computer; empathy in children; time outs; manners and morals; sibling rivalry, and much more.

Shaunti Feldhahn, author of The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages and The Good News about Marriage.
Topic: Debunking myths about marriage and divorce and discovering the little things that make a big difference.Issues: The truth about marriage (most are happy) and divorce (the actual divorce rate is nowhere near 50%); improving your marriage by doing completely un-intuitive things: go to bed mad, keep score, don’t tell it like it is, and more.

[amazon asin=1594204756&template=thumbleft&chan=default]Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better.
Topic: Why the conventional pregnancy wisdom is wrong–and what you really need to know.Issues: Why it’s fine to have an occasional glass of wine; don’t worry about sushi–but wear gloves when you’re gardening; worry about gaining too little weight, not too much; why pregnancy nausea is a good sign; having a doula can decrease the chance of needing a C-section.

[amazon asin=1594204756&template=thumbleft&chan=default]Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better.
Topic: Why the conventional pregnancy wisdom is wrong–and what you really need to know.Issues: Why it’s fine to have an occasional glass of wine; don’t worry about sushi–but wear gloves when you’re gardening; worry about gaining too little weight, not too much; why pregnancy nausea is a good sign; having a doula can decrease the chance of needing a C-section.

[amazon asin=0399535268&template=thumbleft&chan=default]David Swanson, author of Help–My Kid Is Driving Me Crazy.
Topic: How kids manipulate their parents.Issues: Why kids manipulate; Learning to recognize 17 distinct types of manipulate and what you need to do to disarm them.

[amazon asin=0814474462&template=thumbleft&chan=default]Diana Peters Meyer, author of Overcoming School Anxiety.
Topic: Getting kids ready for school.Issues: How to help your child deal with separation, tests, homework, bullies, math phobia, and other worries; telling the difference between normal start-of-school jitters and anxiety that warrants a call to the specialists.

Dear Mr. Dad: I’m pregnant and it seems that the more my husband and I read, the more confusing the whole thing gets. One “expert” says that I should stay away from any alcohol. Another says it’s okay. One says sushi could be deadly, someone else says it’s not. One says I should be careful not to put on too much weight, while another says it’s more dangerous to put on too little. And this goes on and on. Do you have any suggestions for how to filter out the myths from reality?

A: The amount of pregnancy-related information out there is staggering. And, as you’ve discovered, everyone seems to have an opinion on what’s good, bad, healthy, or dangerous. Unfortunately, as you’ve also discovered, it’s really hard to figure out who’s right and who’s completely full of it. Fortunately, there are a few resources that can help.[Read more…]

Dear Mr. Dad: Our 7-year old son has been diagnosed with a learning disability (specifically dyslexia). Some friends of ours with a child the same age have been telling us that our son’s condition might have been caused by vaccines he had. They also say that vaccines cause autism and worse. We asked our doctor about this and he says vaccines are perfectly safe and that our son’s dyslexia was caused by other factors. Who’s right?

A: Your doctor. There’s been a lot of research in the past few years looking into the connection (or lack) between vaccines and learning disabilities or any other health risk. And the evidence is quite conclusive: According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), there is absolutely no evidence—scientific or otherwise—that vaccines cause learning disabilities. [Read more…]